Labeling species as pests and ridiculing their defenders enables destructive indifference.

Evidence

It is easy to remove other species from moral consideration and to destroy their habitats when they interfere with one’s self-interest. Such species are regarded as lowly pests that stand in the way of economic development and destroy people’s livelihoods. Opponents single out an endangered bird, rodent, or reptile to ridicule legislative protections and disparage those who promote them. Those who vilified Rachel Carson portrayed her as more protective of insects and vermin than of humans. Given the intricate interdependence of species, humans can ill afford to wipe out species on which they must depend. The recent alarm over the surprising decline of honeybees worldwide, due to a number of possible causes, underscores the grave risks of indifference to the health of other species (Schwartz, 2014). The disappearance of honeybees, which pollinate fruits, nuts, and vegetable crops, would set off a worldwide food crisis. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2784

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘pest’ labeling plus ridicule of advocates mechanism parallels the vault’s moral-panic and scapegoating claims about treating a group as lesser to justify harm.
• CANDY: Carson was caricatured as protecting insects over humans — a compact illustration of how opponents reframe protectors as misanthropes.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2784